Gyuki, or Ushi-Oni.
A yokai that dwells near water and survives by devouring humans.
Originally, it was just another among many such creatures. However, as the last remaining Gyuki, it had lived for countless years, consuming innumerable humans and growing in strength accordingly.
Lee Eunha quickly explained what she knew.
Hearing this, Taeseong nodded and said, “So, in the end, that thing is still just a yokai.”
“Yes. And it seems like this entire island is its nest. We’re nothing more than prey.”
Expanding his senses, he could feel a web-like structure of yokai energy stretched across the entire island.
Yet, none of the administrator present felt even the slightest unease about the situation.
There was no reason to fear, not with Lee Taeseong standing among them.
Everyone knew what he had done in the Jukai Forest.
Gyuki flicked its tongue and sneered at the prey before it.
[ I never expected my meal to come to me on its own. ]
Something was off.
Until now, every human it had encountered had screamed in terror the moment they faced it.
But these humans before it—why were they so calm?
[ I see… Are you their caretaker? ]
Even in its long memory, those who called themselves administrators of the Trees had shown similar reactions.
But it never took long before they, too, screamed in horror like any other prey.
Taeseong gazed at Gyuki and asked, “If you were born in Japan, you should have stayed there. What are you doing, making a mess all the way over here?”
[ That place is no longer fit for me. I will consume more humans, grow stronger, and surpass my limits. Consider it an honour, you worms. You shall become nourishment for my grand ambition. ]
“Pfft.”
Taeseong scoffed, and Gyuki tilted its head in confusion.
[ What is so funny? ]
“You really think something like you could achieve that?”
His voice was filled with unmistakable contempt.
Gyuki released its yokai energy in fury.
A monstrous aura covered the entire island.
The administrator standing in front of it broke into cold sweats and fell to their knees.
Yet Taeseong merely kept his relaxed smile and looked on.
[ Do you think I haven’t seen humans like you before? Many have stood before me, spouting nonsense, but in the end, they all begged for their lives. ]
“Tsk. You talk too much.”
At that moment—
Taeseong unleashed his latent yokai energy.
BOOOOM!
A violent surge erupted from his entire body, sending shockwaves in all directions.
The surrounding spider-like creatures burst apart simultaneously.
[…]
Even as its offspring were mercilessly slaughtered, Gyuki did not move or speak.
Was it from shock?
No.
It couldn’t move.
That thing before it—no, that being—was something far beyond its reach.
Alarms blared in its mind.
If it wanted to survive, it had to escape. Now.
Run. Run. Run. Run.
Death. Death. Death.
If it stayed, it would surely die.
Then why—why wouldn’t its body move?
It wouldn’t listen.
Against its own will, Gyuki collapsed flat onto the ground, trembling uncontrollably.
Taeseong watched the scene unfold and slowly stepped forward.
Lee Taeseong had already become something that could rightfully be called the King of Yokai.
He had absorbed more than half of Yamata no Orochi’s tails, devoured Shuten Doji—the King of Oni—and even consumed the fallen high monk, the Daitengu.
That alone would have made him overwhelming.
But the pinnacle was when he consumed Ryomen Sukuna, a curse incarnate itself.
A being born from the grudge of yokai, destined to become a king—one who had ultimately devoured his own twin, born as one with him, to evolve into the final, ultimate curse.
The true King of Yokai.
A calamity born of pure malice.
And Taeseong had swallowed even that whole.
To yokai, he was nothing short of a god.
The only yokai capable of enduring his energy would be one at least equal in strength to Lee Taeseong.
Whether such an entity still existed in this world was uncertain.
But unfortunately, this place was a land where dimensional rifts opened without warning—so the possibility was always there.
[ …I-I failed to recognize such a great being. P-Please, I… I beg you, spare my life… ]
Ironically, Gyuki was now the one repeating the very words it had mocked others for.
Taeseong had trained himself to suppress his overwhelming energy, allowing him to appear as nothing more than an ordinary human most of the time.
If he constantly radiated his power, he might not be affected, but the other administrators would suffer terribly.
Now standing before Gyuki, Taeseong looked down at it as if observing an insect.
[…]
The trembling wouldn’t stop.
What should it do?
Should it attack now?
No.
If it did that, it would die.
It would die.
‘That being’ was on an entirely different level.
[ P-Please… Please… ]
Those were Gyuki’s final words.
Taeseong pulled out a sword from his subspace and swung it.
The crimson flames that was on its edge split Gyuki’s skull in half, devouring its flesh like a beast starving for blood.
With an expression devoid of emotion, Taeseong reached out and extracted the core from Gyuki’s corpse before swallowing it whole.
Crunch.
Gulp.
A surge of overwhelming power coursed through his body, accompanied by Gyuki’s lingering memories.
“…Her again.”
A grotesque woman in a red dress.
The same woman he had seen in the memories of the Red Mask and Ryomen Sukuna.
It was her once more.
Gyuki, who had once roamed Japan, had crossed the sea to Korea—all because of that woman.
“…Annoying.”
The woman in Gyuki’s memories was once again staring at Taeseong.
It was as if she had known he would peer into those memories, her gaze directed into empty space carrying an inexplicable sense of unease.
‘What is she?’
Whatever her true nature, she was far from ordinary.
Taeseong’s instincts told him as much. Due to the power of Devour bestowed by Taegorang, he could distinguish beings stronger than himself. Yet, he felt nothing from the woman in those memories.
When he faced the strong, his hunger always surged—but there was no such reaction now.
Instead, he had the unsettling feeling that she was something he should not consume.
If he were to eat her, something terrible would happen.
In fact, he wasn’t even sure she could be eaten.
A mass of ominous dread.
‘Once I return to the Tree, I should ask Choi Harin about this.’
As the head of the intelligence team, Choi Harin might know something about the woman in the red dress.
Ending his thoughts, Taeseong returned to his companions.
Though they had fully expected his victory, witnessing his overwhelming power firsthand was another matter.
Taesan let out a bold laugh, his competitive spirit flaring.
Oh Haeyoung resolved to grow even stronger.
And Sooah felt an immense sense of pride in her brother’s power.
Taeseong shared what he had learned from Gyuki’s memories.
Lee Eunha was the first to speak.
“……So you’re saying that the Guardian Dragon is going berserk because of its battle with that yokai?”
Gyuki had fought the Guardian Dragon on its way to this land.
Poisoned during the battle, the dragon had succumbed to madness.
“That seems to be the biggest cause. But even before that, it wasn’t in the best condition. I think its mind has been worn down over the years protecting this place.”
“Well… I guess that makes sense. It must have gone through a lot.”
Lee Eunha sighed before continuing.
“Then just killing that yokai isn’t enough to solve the problem.”
“It won’t be that simple.”
“This is frustrating… We can’t just deal with it as we please. It’s a protected entity designated by the Tree.”
More than that, The Guardian Dragon was a hero—a being that had sacrificed itself to defend the nation.
Even if it had lost itself to madness, attacking it simply because it stood in their way felt unjust.
Of course, if things escalated and their lives were in danger, they would have no choice but to put it down.
But they weren’t at that point yet.
“For now, I’ll call Team Leader Choi Harin.”
Lee Eunha stepped away to make the call.
Five minutes later, she returned.
“I spoke with the Team Leader. The higher-ups want this resolved peacefully. The Guardian Dragonis directly managed by them, so elimination isn’t an option.”
Taeseong muttered under his breath.
“They should have managed it properly in the first place. Now they’re just dumping the mess on us.”
Though everyone agreed, they kept their thoughts to themselves.
For Taeseong, subduing the dragon would be no trouble.
After all, he had cut down Gyuki—a Beta-grade entity—in a single strike.
But the orders were clear.
Resolve this peacefully.
That meant no combat.
Oh Haeyoung asked,
“What should we do?”
Everyone was thinking the same thing.
“Yeah… what should we do?”
Just then, Sooah hesitantly raised her hand.
“Um… how about this?”
The group turned their attention to her.
At first, they only intended to hear her out.
But as she spoke, their expressions gradually shifted.
From mild curiosity…
To genuine interest.
“That’s a great idea.”
“It really is.”
“…You’re smart.”
“As expected of my little sister.”
Everyone seemed in agreement—except for Lee Eunha.
She remained silent, lost in thought.
Then, she finally spoke.
“It’s a good idea… but in the end, I’m the one who has to pull it off, right? Did anyone bother to ask me?”
When the others responded with nothing but expectant looks, she sighed.
“Haa… Fine. I’ll do it. But it’s going to take time. We’re talking about a legendary artifact here. The Tree has a replica, but it’s not like we can just take it…”
Right then—
A thunderous voice rang out from the distance.
[THERE! YOU ARE THERE, AREN’T YOU?! YOKAI OF WA COUNTRY! AS LONG AS I EXIST, I WILL NEVER ALLOW YOUR ATROCITIES TO CONTINUE!]
The voice was coming closer.
It seemed that Taeseong’s earlier surge of yokai energy had drawn the Guardian Dragon to their location.
[IF YOU DARE SET FOOT IN THIS LAND TO TERRORIZE MY PEOPLE, THEN I SHALL VANQUISH YOU MYSELF!]
[AS LONG AS I LIVE, THIS LAND SHALL KNOW PEACE, AND YOUR EVIL SHALL BE ERADICATED!]
[AWAIT ME! I WILL TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB!]
Without a word, Taeseong grasped his sword and spread his black wings.
He ascended into the sky.
Behind him, a frantic voice called out.
“Taeseong! You must not kill it! Absolutely not!”
He nodded.
‘So long as I don’t kill it… one or two limbs should be fine.’
